Availability of Detection Frequency Method Using Three-Port Gas Chromatography-Olfactometry for Rapid Comparison of Whole Milk Powders

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the common components and characteristic compounds of whole milk powders (WMPs) produced in three different regions of Asia and Oceania. The volatile components were isolated from seven WMPs produced in Japan, New Zealand, and China. Forty-one aroma-active compounds were detected in these volatile components using gas chromatography-olfactometry by the detection frequency method. The binary data converted from the detection frequency values was applied to the principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). The HCA result showed three clusters corresponding to the production regions. Based on the PCA, approximately 70% of the total variance of WMPs was explained by the PC1 and PC2 scores. The PC1 scores can be used to examine the property of WMPs based on the aroma of dairy products and the PC2 scores indicated the property of the production region based on the scattering plot of each WMP. Based on the PC2 loading values of aroma-active compounds, it was revealed that, depending on the production region, the difference between the whole aromas of different WMPs was caused not by the characteristic compound, but by the balance of aroma impact compounds that commonly occur in WMPs.